Eddie Shore
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Edward William "Eddie" Shore (born November 25, 1902 in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada - died March 16, 1985) was a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL). His nickname was "The Edmonton Express".
In 1924, Shore began his hockey career with the Regina Capitals in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally a forward, he converted to defense while playing for the Edmonton Eskimos.
When the WHL folded in 1927, Shore was sold to the Boston Bruins of the NHL. As a rookie, he scored 12 goals and 6 assists for a total of 18 points. This was during an era when defensemen scored few goals.
Named to the NHL All-Star team for eight of the team's first nine years, Shore was the only NHL defenseman to win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player four times. While playing for the Bruins, he won two Stanley Cups.
A bruiser known for NHL violence, Shore set an NHL record for 165 penalty minutes in his second season. He frequently ran over players and skated in a trademark crouch so that it was hard for rivals such as Billy Coutu to knock him down.
In the 1925/26 season, defensemen Coutu and Sprague Cleghorn of the Montreal Canadiens were traded to the Boston Bruins. During their first practice with the Bruins, Eddie Shore strutted back and forth in front of Coutu and Cleghorn, presumably to show his authority as lead defenseman. Coutu body-slammed Shore, headbutting his skull and severing the ear. Shore visited several doctors who wanted to amputate the ear, but, at the end of that day, finally found one who sewed it back on. After refusing anaesthetic, Shore used a mirror to watch the doctor sew on the ear. Shore claimed Coutu used his hockey stick to cut off the ear, and Coutu was fined $50. However, Shore later recanted and Coutu's money was refunded. Coutu is quoted as saying he always gave Shore a "limp hand" after that.
He also ended the career of Toronto Maple Leafs star Ace Bailey with a vicious body check.
When he retired, Shore bought and operated the American Hockey League's Springfield Indians for thirty-five years. Today, the trophy given annually to the AHL's best defenceman is named in his honour. Shore was also mentioned in the movie Slap Shot.
Eddie Shore was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947. In 1998, he was ranked number 10 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, making him the highest-ranked pre-World War II player.
On February 28th, 1985, Eddie felt quite ill and checked into a Springfield hospital. His condition gradually deteriorated, and he died on March 16th, 1985.
The Boston Bruins retired Shore's player number 2 for his presence on the team in its earliest years, as one of the players who first defined the offensive-minded defensenman's role in the NHL, and with the Bruins, later to be embraced by later Bruins greats Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque.
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1926-27 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 40 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 130 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 40 | ||
| 1927-28 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 43 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 165 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1928-29 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 39 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 96 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 28 | ||
| 1929-30 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 42 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 105 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | ||
| 1930-31 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 105 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 24 | ||
| 1931-32 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 45 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 80 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1932-33 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 102 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 1933-34 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 30 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 57 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1934-35 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1935-36 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 45 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 61 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 1936-37 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 20 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1937-38 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1938-39 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 47 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 19 | ||
| 1939-40 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1939-40 | NY Americans | NHL | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| NHL Totals | 550 | 105 | 179 | 284 | 1047 | 55 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 181 | ||||
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: Babe Siebert | Winner of the Hart Trophy 1938 | Succeeded by: Toe Blake |
| Preceded by: Aurel Joliat | Winner of the Hart Trophy 1935, 1936 | Succeeded by: Babe Siebert |
| Preceded by: Howie Morenz | Winner of the Hart Trophy 1933 | Succeeded by: Aurel Joliat |
Categories: 1902 births | 1985 deaths | Boston Bruins players | Canadian ice hockey players | Canada's Sports Hall of Fame | Hart Trophy winners | Lester Patrick Trophy recipients | National Hockey League players with retired numbers | Hockey Hall of Fame | New York Americans players | Springfield Indians | Stanley Cup champions
